


Broken Soul

by Garcia_Allen



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Basically still canon compliant, First Kiss, Hurt Theo Raeken, Hurt but also Protective Liam Dunbar, Hurt/Comfort, Liam Dunbar is Theo Raeken's Anchor, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Jordan Parrish & Peter Hale, POV Theo Raeken, Post-Canon, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor, Theo Raeken-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28337607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garcia_Allen/pseuds/Garcia_Allen
Summary: Everyone gets their soulmark by the age of 18. Theo is19, and he still doesn’t get one.
Relationships: Jordan Parrish & Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 10
Kudos: 107
Collections: Thiam Holiday Gift Exchange 2020





	Broken Soul

**Author's Note:**

  * For [peachykeen14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachykeen14/gifts).



> Happy Holidays!  
> I hope you enjoy this fic! I’m not sure if this the surprise you want since it’s indeed a Hurt/Comfort story while I think I’m kind of slightly getting off your details. Well…it just happens.
> 
> To be honest, I have never written any fic directly in English, and this is really a long story for me (as a beginner). Frankly, I have never written anything that long in English in my entire life. I’m so fucking proud of myself that I actually finish it!  
> Sadly, I don't have any beta, so please feel free to let me know if you find any grammatical mistake or something just looks weird, I will correct it as soon as possible.

The moment Theo tells Liam that he doesn’t have a soulmate, it’s on the way he drives the other home.

They just finished a pack meeting at Mason’s place, which later turned out to be a movie night, that Theo kept convincing himself the only reason he was there because Scott, as the true Alpha, asked him _nicely_ to help protect Beacon Hills before the older pack members went to college. And he got free pizza, so he didn’t complain.

Not about Liam and his damn face. Definitely.

But things just happen. Words slip out of his mouth. He doesn’t even know how this could possibly happen, though it indeed happens anyway. Perhaps the meaningless discussion about soulmates before everyone left gave him a little inspiration or whatever. His brain, which hadn’t rested for over 72 hours, can’t process such information right now. What can he say? He is the one _actually_ doing the real job to prevent any potential crisis. He is fucking tired; he has the right to say some stupid thing.

Well, he still has to face it. At least he is well awake now. Maybe too awake than he expects.

Theo quieted down sharply, controlling his heartbeat to keep it at its usual pace, refusing to look in Liam’s direction even with the corner of his eyes, his grip on the steering wheel tightening slightly. He can feel the sudden acceleration of the other’s heartbeat, mixes with the scent of the shock and confusion about the former words.

“…Okay,” Liam slowly responds, moving uncomfortably as if abruptly sitting up straight; there’s something odd in his voice, almost broken, yet it seems to carry understanding. “Thank you for telling me this.”

It’s not what he expected, but honestly, he doesn’t even know what he was expecting himself. It did give him some relief, in a weird way, though. His tense muscles gradually relaxed; his eyes on the tarmac forward, surrounded by streetlamps that dragged out narrow shadows under the light. He forced himself to put on his usual smirk.

He can handle this. It’s not a big deal.

“I almost thought you were going to say you were sorry about that,” Theo says, trying to sound causally, “You are that kind of person who always thinks all soulmates would have a happy ending.”

“What gives you such impressions?” Liam sniffs. “I don’t feel sorry. Some people don’t have marks; that’s _totally_ natural. You are not even the first person I know.”

Theo gives a light snort of approval. “You really have grown _a lot_ ,” He says softly.

“I’m not that angry kid who tried to contradict his lacrosse captain anymore.”

“You are still a kid, little one.”

“Hey!” Liam retorts with annoyance. He pauses for a while, seemingly organizing his words, and then finally speaks again. “My mom, and my biological father, they aren’t soulmates. My mom was pregnant before she got her marks. She was brave, I have to say, but they…they didn’t end well, like, at all. And now she is happy, with my dad, really happy. Their life, like some kind of fairy tale, is what I dreamed of as a child.”

Sighs, Liam turns his head to look out the window as the passing night scene turns into a dim and blurry image.

“But not all realities are like that; I mean, for me alone,” he continues. “No mark represents...uh, freedom, to some extent. There was a time that I even wished I didn’t get a mark, you know.”

“That you and Hayden didn’t work well?” Theo glances at him, speculating.

“… _That_ ’s part of the story, I would say,” the younger boy gives a reminiscent look. “I was…shocked, but then I started to accept the idea, and now I’m totally comfortable with it.”

Theo now realizes that the other was actually comforting him in a unique way, the particular _Liam_ way. Liam gives him some equivalent information to ease his discomfort, and he does feel better. “Oh,” all of a sudden, he doesn’t know what to say; his throat feels like it’s choked up. “…That’s good.”

“And Scott also helps me a lot,” Liam leans his head against the right side of the car window and turns sideways to gaze at Theo. “Well, he and Malia, they work great. I love both of them, and they deserve to be happy, after all the mess.”

Theo is keenly aware that there seems to be some subtext here, but he doesn’t know exactly what the other boy is trying to say. This is a bit strange, since Liam is usually not that difficult to read. He decides to chalk it up to sleep deprivation causing paranoia.

“Anyway, thank you for the ride, and thank you for trusting me,” he hears Liam’s voice and recognizes that he has already parked his truck in front of the other’s house. Muscle memory is incredible. Sure it is.

He makes no reply, just a slight nod.

Liam unbuckles his seatbelt and reaches down to yank on the door. But the moment before he opened the door, he turns his head again and asks quietly in a cautious tone.

“We’re _friends_ , right?”

He sounds so uncertain, yet hopeful. It’s like putting the whole heart into Theo’s hands. Unreserved.

Theo freezes. He definitely never expects this conversation to end up in _this_ direction. He will certainly not summarize the relationship between them in this way. He is the ally of the pack, they know each other, and he knows he is Liam’s anchor. Maybe acquaintance, since he knows the school subjects the other person good at, his preferred videogame, his favorite flavor of ice cream, and Liam’s class schedule and sleep patterns. Hell, he even knows when the younger boy’s next lacrosse match is (next Friday, by the way). If Liam is in any kind of danger, he will be there, of course.

But they are _not_ friends. Absolutely. He has no friends. Just look at what happened to his former friends. He doesn’t need these _meaningless_ connections. The words of rejection are on the tip of his tongue. He can do that.

_He can._

Instead, he finds his own voice, not very loud, but full of determination.

“Yeah, we _are_.”

He can almost hear Liam’s sigh of relief. At that moment, all he feels that’s truly worth it.

_FUCK._

————————————————————

It has been a while since that night’s conversation in the truck. Oddly enough, his life hasn’t really changed that much.

Yes, there are indeed more texts, more invitations; he even helps Liam with biology on more than once and sits openly in the audience to watch a lacrosse match at the other’s insistence.

And he seems to be adapting well to that.

But being woken up _very_ early in the morning on the weekend after having finally managed to get some dream-free sleep is not something he was by any means looking forward to.

Liam triggers the alarm he has set in the tunnel. Of course it’s him. Though it’s not too obvious, Theo can even smell the other’s fucking scent from inside the theater.

He jumps up from the mattress, grabs his change of clothes, and turns off the alarm before heading out the door.

He is pretty sure Liam heard that alarm too; when he reaches the other, the gold in the younger boy’s eyes is lighting up and his fangs and claws are sticking out.

“What the _fuck_ , Theo,” Liam seems to be startled; his voice is almost to a scream. “What are you doing _here_?”

Liam is serious, Theo realizes. “Good morning to you too,” he trails off. “I have the same question for you.”

“The sheriff said there were some suspicious traces in the tunnel; the hunters may have come back,” Liam shifts back, eyes also recede to their usual blue. “I thought since I was free, I might as well come and check.”

He is being honest; Theo can tell that for sure, but…free in the early weekend morning? That just doesn’t sound like Liam.

He slightly frowns and brushes aside this insignificant doubt. He is quite sure Liam won’t want to talk about it, at all.

On the contrary, he brings up another detail of the other’s words. “There are no hunters here, as far as I know. Only me.”

“You? What are _you_ doing here?” Liam repeats, as if understanding something, his tone rises abruptly, with certainty. “You _live_ in the Dread Doctors’ operating theater. _What the hell_?”

His heartbeat quickens, his chemosignals are mixed with anxiety, anger...and plenty of self-recrimination.

“You said you had a _place_ to live,” Liam accuses, almost with betrayal in his voice.

Theo blinks; he is in no way prepared to face this. Sleep deprivation really does lead to a decrease in intelligence.

“Better than the back seat of my truck,” he mumbles, but immediately regrets saying it. He can fully anticipate what will happen next. He is so fucked up.

Sure enough, Liam’s eyes widen, and Theo can certainly tell he is trying hard not to yell out. “Okay, that’s creepy. There’s _must_ have something triggering you in this fucking place.”

Theo sighs; he really doesn’t want to discuss this or face an emotionally unstable Liam, even if the other boy is unstable because of him.

“Just go home, Liam,” he says softly, “And try to get some rest. I’m fine.”

Liam explodes. “No, you’re not! And I’m not! Don’t ‘Liam’ me, I know what I’m doing, I’m worried about you! I didn’t even know you ever slept in the back seat! How long have you been sleeping there?”

There is no denying that...Theo is a little shocked. “Over three months,” he decides to remain honest about it. In any case, he is the more rational one of the two. He tries to explain, in a tone of self-reflexed defense mechanism. “I can take care of myself, Liam, I’m used to it. I don’t need your sympathy—”

“That’s _not_ sympathy, oh my god Theo, of course not,” Liam sharply interrupts; he takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down. “I’m _angry_ , angry about myself. I don’t know exactly what I could have done to help, but I really wish I had been there. I _care_ about you. _We’re friends._ And that’s what friends _do_.”

Theo gazes at the other boy in silence, trying to find a trace of pretense in his face. But all the signs indicate that Liam is sincere and undisguised, and he notices that look, which the younger boy has had the same expression on the other night.

So persistent, and full of firmness.

“I’m sorry,” he gives up, admits in a squirming whisper, mixes with incredible embarrassment.

“That’s a progress,” Liam chuckles, yet then turns it into a soft sigh. To his surprise, the other boy also apologizes to him. “I’m sorry, too. Yes, I’m worried, maybe even panic, but I don’t have the right to judge you. I’m your friend…I just want to help.”

Liam does grow up a lot when he is not aware of it. Theo holds down the inexplicable emotions in his heart and clears his throat, trying to imagine what a normal person would do at this particular moment.

“Huh…would you like to come inside?”

The interior of the operating theater is filled with an odd sense of clutter. Theo attaches himself to picks up a few sheets of information that have fallen to the ground because of the open door, and says to Liam, who is standing by the entrance. “Suit yourself.”

Liam’s eyes glance over the instruments belonging to the Dread Doctors stacked in the corner, skimming over the two huge maps of the world and the United States with countless annotations taped to the wall, and the table piled high with papers and notes below them, pausing a second on the messy mattress and finally widening at the sight of the induction cooker and refrigerator leaning against the wall.

“That’s…actually _above_ my expectation.” He admits.

“What are you picturing about?” Theo snorts. “I don’t have any spare cup. No coffee. No tea.”

The younger boy ignores his insinuation and pauses at the table, tilting his head to gaze at the two maps. “You’re tracking hunters.”

“What else can I do?” Theo says sarcastically. “Monroe’s protégés have not been heard from in California for a long time. I doubt they will be back anytime soon.”

He comes forward and points to two places on the world map. “As for Monroe herself, there are sources that say she left the U.S. for either South America or East Asia.”

“She’ll be back,” Liam says quietly. He again stares at Theo’s notes on the maps for a while, then asks. “Do others know about this?”

“I’m afraid Argent gets more comprehensive information than mine,” Theo crosses his arms, saying in a defensive tone, but soon backs off after seeing the other’s disapproving look. “Fine, the sheriff knows.”

Liam slightly nods and says nothing more, starting to turn his attention instead to the other items in the room.

Theo eyes him as the younger boy walks along and finally stops in front of the old refrigerator.

“I know there was lighting in here before, but how you got the other appliances to work?” Liam asks with interest. “You even have a fridge!”

“Found it in the junkyard,” Theo says flatly, raising an eyebrow when the other looks at him. “And I got help.”

“Then I’m not the first person to know that you live here?”

Okay, did he reveal too much information at once today?

“…Parrish knows,” He reluctantly admits.

Liam blinks. “Parrish?”

“He followed me down here on a night patrol earlier,” Theo says, refusing to explain more.

“That…makes sense,” Liam seems to have a sudden realization. “That’s why he offered to drive me here when the sheriff brought it up.”

“How do you think the sheriff got that information about the hunters, besides Argent?” Theo gives a low groan, gradually softening his expression. “He is a nice guy.”

“Yeah…and that nice guy is still waiting for me outside,” Liam looks like he remembers something out of the blue, “Fuck, I think I probably have to go.”

He waves his hand haphazardly and hurries towards the entrance. “Thanks for all this, Theo! Nice to see you! Please be sure to let me know if you have any further updates!”

Theo looks at the other’s fading back in the doorway, smiling gently.

“Copy that.”

————————————————————

Liam was right; although Theo won’t admit it to anyone else, something in the operating theater does trigger him. He has had so many memories here from the past.

Always bad.

He also has tried to escape, but eventually came back.

Guarding this grave of memories.

He has dreams, nightmares, and countless night terrors. About the Doctors, about those experiments, about all the people he had killed. He dreams about Tara over and over again.

This doesn’t sound healthy, and indeed it is.

Perhaps it is the change in the moon phases that affects him, maybe plus accumulated fatigue, and on that night, his fears become extraordinarily real.

Almost crushes him.

He knows clearly that he is dreaming, but he just can’t wake up. For a moment, he practically thinks he’s back in that endless loop.

Theo stands barefoot on the floor, his head hanging as he gazes at his grown-up sister, who is crawling ruggedly down the hallway toward him. This is a scene he has long been accustomed to, but he still can’t help but feel heartburn.

That’s…his Tara, growing into the _exact_ look he used to imagine when he was a kid.

It’s useless to run or to struggle; only acceptance is the way left.

All movement seems to be slowed down; the pain of falling to the ground from the impact creeps up the spine along the back. A pale, skinny hand with long nails jams his neck with unattainable strength, pinning him to the floor. The long, dry hair of the other brushes the bare skin of his neck and cheeks. Dark red blood running down the void in her chest, soaking through his T-shirt. Tara gazes at him with her emotionless eyes, in which he can’t see his own reflection.

The sound of fingernails piercing the skin is clearly audible in this silent space. He can hear his own breathing with the ever-accelerating heartbeat, feeling the sudden stopping tremor as her fingertips touch his heart.

The pain seems to be magnified, peaking at the moment when the blood vessel breaks. Tara pulls out his still-dripping heart and slowly licks the blood from her fingers. The fluttering butterfly on her wrist merges with the bloodstream.

His eyes, whose vision has been enhanced, see every detail of the bloody with crystal clarity.

He has a high tolerance, but this pain still makes him want to let out a scream. Maybe he _really_ calls out.

It’s her heart; it’s supposed to be the life that belongs to her.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, he hears himself calling out her name in a breathy voice.

“Theo, Theo…Theo!”

Hazily, it’s like someone is crying out his name.

Again and again, with patience, and strength of firm confidence.

Theo struggles to wake up with a gasp, immediately smells a trace of a familiar scent, and hears another strong heartbeat nearby. The citrusy scent of laundry detergent is mixed with a refreshing hint of mint. Liam is holding his face, softly repeating, “I’m here, you’re with me” over and over again.

He blinks hard, trying to determine if he is still stuck in the illusion.

But Liam is still here.

Theo only feels his heart skip a beat. He wants to blame it all on the previous night terror, but a voice in his mind keeps reminding him that it’s _not_.

Liam’s hair is a mess, and his clothes are even on backward, yet he looks so reliable, so warm, like he is actually _glowing_.

His chest appears to be on fire, but it’s filled with an unknown bitterness.

He wants to ask the other person why he is here, but then the answer doesn’t seem that important anymore. He opens his mouth and tries to say hi, while the fragile words slip out unnoticed down his dry throat.

“…Please stay.”

In that one moment, he realizes _so desperately_ that he wants to wake up in the same bed as Liam the next morning.

He secretly hopes that the younger boy will attribute all his abnormalities to the earlier experience.

“I’m here,” repeating quietly, Liam that sits on the mattress next to him, tries to put some slight distance between him unobtrusively.

Theo subconsciously grabs the other’s right shoulder and pulls him onto the bed. After all he has been through, he can…indulge a little more.

Liam freezes for a while, but then slowly relaxes, leans in close to him, and carefully reaches out to cuddle him.

“You called out your sister’s name,” he whispers, giving definite speculation. “She did something to you. _Under there._ ”

Theo doesn’t expect the other to take the initiative to bring this up; he is silent for some time before finally responds. “…I might tell you the whole story someday.”

Liam picks up on his _don’t-want-to-talk-about-it-right-now_ hint and holds him a little tighter, the breath brushing against his ear as he speaks.

“Try to get some sleep, Theo. I’m not going anywhere.”

He curls up in Liam’s arms; his nostrils fill with the scent of the younger boy, the sound of heartbeat reaching his mind as the two of them are linked by their bodies. He drifts off to sleep amidst the regular rattling sounds.

Falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When he wakes up, the mattress on the other side is empty. The warmth has dissipated, but Liam’s scent still lingers in the air.

He hasn’t slept this well in a really long time.

Theo gets out of the mattress and unconsciously sniffs the traces Liam left behind, keenly noticing the yellow note taped to the refrigerator.

The note is in Liam’s crooked handwriting.

 _Lacrosse match. Have to go._ With a smiley face in the corner.

Face softens, he tears the note off and puts it into his usual notebook on the table.

He thinks about sending Liam a text message, but his thoughts are interrupted the moment he takes off his T-shirt.

He can hardly believe his eyes.

Theo rushes to the blurry mirror on the wall, trying to determine if what he’s seeing is real. And that _is_ indeed.

He cuts the skin of his chest with his claws in a self-mutilating manner; the smell of blood filled the space. But when that skin grows back, it remains the same with nothing changed.

The pattern is _still_ there.

It’s kinda like a _scar_ , with the color of dark red, as if it’s a wound left after heart surgery, is set in the center of his chest and feels more of a mark than a scar to the touch.

The previous warmth has long since disappeared; Theo finds himself cold all over, his claws once again piercing his newly grown skin.

_His heart doesn’t belong to him, and it’s not allowed to beat it for others._

This is a warning.

_Tara._

————————————————————

As Theo comes out of the tunnel, he is surprised to find Parrish waiting for him at the exit.

The other man isn’t in his uniform and isn’t driving his usual patrol car, but is leaning against his private car, raising his hand and throwing a set of keys at him the moment he sees Theo.

“What’s _this_ for?” Theo raises an eyebrow as he looks at the keys in his hand.

“Liam asked me to check you,” Parrish pauses, as if trying to find a proper way to say it, with a strange twist of expression. “…After _things_ he did last night.”

“The full moon?” Theo still can’t understand exactly what the older deputy is trying to say; Liam has been controlling himself very well in recent months. This shouldn’t be a problem. And Liam was with him last night.

_Wait._

“Long story short, your place is exposed, and I happen to have an empty room. That’s it.”

_Wait. Wait. Wait._

“Liam did WHAT?” Theo is pretty sure he shouted out. He doesn’t expect that, at all. He is in a mess, and he has no intention of explaining to everyone why he’s still living in that damn theater. That’s his own business.

“Uh, basically he ran through the whole Beacon Hills, in his shifted form,” Parrish weighs his words, as though he doesn’t want to give him any more stimulus. “Maybe it’s an _anchor_ thing?”

It’s _not_ an anchor thing. _I didn’t do that…to Liam._ He stiffens. Shit. How can he not realize this after spending so much time with Liam? After realizing that he might even have a crush on the younger boy? That fucking theater is truly creepy.

_Liam Dunbar is his anchor._

He squeezes his keys tighter and listens half-heartedly to the deputy’s further explanation.

“Don’t be in a hurry to say no,” Parrish says, stopping Theo from blurting out a rejection. “If you reject me, the sheriff and Argent are also waiting in the line. You don’t think Melissa would really allow you to live here alone, do you?”

“I’m an adult,” he points out sharply.

“But you’re still a _minor_ ,” Parrish adds emphasis to the last word. “Besides, Argent would have broken into the theater last night if I hadn’t stopped him. Liam ran right past the front of his car. Such a brave action, I would say.”

Alright, he thinks he’s had enough shocks for one day, but there is a weird hint of heartwarming mixed in with it. Theo takes a little time to analyze the pros and cons in his mind, and finally decides to give in.

“Fine,” he sighs, halting for a moment, and when he speaks again, his voice suddenly weakens. “ _Thank you._ ”

“No problem, kiddo,” Parrish grins, heading for the entrance to the tunnel, and reaches out to gesture for him to follow. “Liam really has a _great positive impact_ on you.”

“Sure he is,” Theo chuckles, lifting his feet to catch up.

Parrish, walking ahead, turns back when he hears this, his voice echoing in the tunnel. “But you don’t seem too certain about your relationship with him.”

Theo goes silent, so long that the deputy almost thinks he will never reply.

His voice is so soft; the last syllables nearly dissipate into the air.

“I’m _terrified_.”

That night, lying in his new room, Theo touches the pattern on his chest and, after tossing and turning for hours, finally falls asleep thinking about Liam.

The next morning, he is awakened by the sound of noises outside his room mixed with the aroma of food. He catches the scent that has a few familiar touches. Someone other than Parrish…is in the apartment.

Theo doesn’t expect that he can actually sleep for so long. Maybe a real bed does make a difference.

He quickly goes to the bathroom to put himself together and then steps out of the room.

Parrish makes pancakes (of course he does) in his small open kitchen while Peter Hale is sitting on the kitchen island sipping coffee. The older werewolf smirks after seeing him, noticing his suddenly wary eyes. For a moment, Theo feels as if the other man has seen right through him.

He doesn’t like this feeling.

“Hi, Peter, what are you doing here?” Peter says in a sweet, innocent tone, with amusement in his eyes. Clearing his throat, he switches back to his usual voice. “I own this goddamn building. I can drink coffee in my favorite apartment.”

Just as Theo is about to open his mouth to say something, Parrish interrupts him. “Wants some pancakes? Please ignore him, just Peter being a drama queen.”

“Uh…okay, thanks.” he forces himself to relax, not make a fuss about it. In the meantime, he hears Peter grumble to Parrish in a pompous way, “Are you going to ditch your no-soulmark comrade?”

He glances unobtrusively at the deputy in his hoodie, who does not seem to feel much discomfort at the revelation of this secret. He hasn’t even figured out what the hell he was thinking, but the words just come out in a grunt.

“I don’t have a mark either.”

This is the first time he has publicly admitted it to someone other than Liam.

He immediately regrets saying it as Peter stands up and raises his coffee cup towards him. “I like you, young man. Now you’re officially in the club.”

Parrish turns to him, handing him a plate with a look that seems a bit surprised, but then quickly gives him an encouraging smile.

“I’m flattered,” Theo mumbles.

This is actually...a touch of comfort, weird though.

Perhaps getting along with other people doesn’t seem to be that difficult.

————————————————————

When Liam finally finds him, Theo is standing in front of Tara’s headstone. It’s dusk, and the shadows of the older boy overlap with the trailing shadows of the tombstone.

Theo doesn’t move back until Liam walks up to him and leans down to put down a bouquet of lilies.

“Hi,” Liam says quietly.

“How was your match?” Theo asks in a similar tone, refusing to look at him.

“We won. 5-1,” the younger boy replies, hesitating for a few seconds before starting to apologize. “Listen, I’m sorr—”

“Don’t,” Theo interrupts him sharply, still not taking his eyes off the stone tablet. “I don’t blame you. There’s just…too much going on at once.”

He is silent for quite a while. By the time he speaks again, his voice is flat, but mixed with a trace of unconscious confusion and sadness.

“I didn’t even know she had a tombstone. _They_ took me away after that night.”

He doesn’t bring up the Dread Doctors’ names here. That doesn’t feel right. He wonders if Tara’s body was actually buried beneath the ground. The scents in the cemetery are all similar. But by having her name carved here, it represents something that can never be erased.

“This is her heart,” he lifts his hand and clutches the shirt at his chest, his voice is filled with unemotional flatness, “I watched her die.”

“She wants _it_ back,” it’s as if Liam realized his subtext. “That’s what you experienced in that prison.”

His voice suddenly softens, and Theo can smell the sadness emanating from the other.

“You _don’t_ deserve that, even back then.”

Seeming to selectively ignore his comment, Theo continues after a short pause.

“You know, she got her soulmark before she died. She was one of the first to have the marks,” he sounds like there’s a lot of memories. “On her right wrist, in gold, is the shape of a butterfly.”

She had been that expectant of her soulmate. She was that happy after getting the mark.

He pauses again, sighs slightly, and the pain in his voice is so real when he speaks again.

“Sometimes I think the reason I don’t have a mark is that I was destined to die before I turned 18. I’m _broken_. And I stole her life,” he bites his lower lip, gently brushing his hand over the top of the headstone. “ _I miss her._ I miss her so much. I regret that the last conversation I had before she died was a fight. I was pissed, but then she died.”

He feels himself being pulled into a warm embrace. Liam’s scent surrounds him. It’s so gentle, so reassuring. Containing everything he needs right now.

“You really look like you need this,” says the younger boy, whose breath sprays on the side of his neck as he speaks.

Theo closes his eyes for a moment and then opens them again, trying to restrain the pounding heart in his chest. He wants so badly to indulge himself in this embrace. Liam is his _friend_ , who has a soulmate and is so _excited_ about them. He is the sun for the world, so dazzling, and always full of energy. Yes, he does have many faults, big and small, but he still looks like the sum of all the good things in the world.

_No. Just NO._

He has long gotten used to being alone.

So he forces himself to open his mouth and block all his back roads.

“Thank you for being my friend, Liam.”

He inhales and slowly lifts his head, only to freeze in place the moment he looks off into the distance.

Under a yew tree at the far side of the hill, his sister, who looks like a walking dead body, is standing there. She is still wearing that familiar costume, her hair cascading down to cover most of her face, and the bloody hole in her chest reveals the white bones behind.

That is the first time he has seen a vision of Tara.

————————————————————

His dead sister is a frequent visitor to his dream world, and whether Theo likes it or not, this has become the norm for him. This is supposed to be the end of his story. But hell, Tara has recently become a regular visitor to his _real_ world.

Now he has visions, or illusions, or…anyway, call it whatever you like.

And he still hasn’t adapted to this.

Theo knows exactly what’s causing this problem. Well, damn it, doesn’t he have the right to panic when her curse is just branded on him?

He may never be able to adapt to this.

These visions appear more and more frequently, at home, on the street, when he’s alone, or in the midst of a crowd.

It seriously affects his life.

Look at him now: he is the first chimera, he is supposed to have excellent professional qualities (of killing), but he ends up in the middle of the preserve, pinned to the ground by a couple of hunters who aren’t exactly sophisticated, just because for the first while he mistook one of the huntresses for Tara.

Shit. How did they even get yellow wolfsbane? And where the hell did they learn to mix yellow wolfsbane with mistletoe?

That’s really…something.

He coughs up a mouthful of blood and barely manages to lift the man on top of him to the earth with his right hand, which is still moving, for now.

This is supposed to be just a usual patrol. The hunters haven’t been heard from in a long time. His phone was dropped somewhere during the previous fight. So there is no backup. His current stamina is not enough to support him to make a full shift, so this path is not going to work either. With Liam at school and Parrish at work, he doesn’t hold out much hope for their help.

He has been through hell, and he is not going to die here. He dodges another bullet, struggling to resist, yet Tara’s phantom is still on the aside, making constant, frightening grunts.

 _You’re not gonna make it_ , he somehow understands. Theo settles down and resists the urge to yell back, only to be knocked down again in the next instant.

Fucking Hell.

His chest is burning, the _scar_ on his skin is glowing hot. He sees the moment and breaks the wrist of a hunter, and then rolls to the side. And in the very next minute, a familiar howl resounds in the preserve.

He slumps to the ground and catches a glimpse of Liam snarling as he rushes toward the hunters.

He must have passed out for a while. For at the next impression he has, Liam is fumbling the truck keys out of his pocket, then reaching down and picking him up off the ground. And the hunters all fall aside, unconscious.

His consciousness has been alternating between awake and disoriented. “Hold on. I’ll take you to the hospital right away,” he hears Liam’s voice and feels the other put himself into the passenger side.

“Call Argent,” he says in a weak voice, as Liam starts his truck.

Liam gives him a look, wipes his face, plugs his phone into the holder, and turns on the speakerphone. On the way to the hospital, Theo listens intermittently to the younger boy and older hunter’s conversation. His breath begins to catch, and Tara’s whispers continue to echo in his ears at all times.

The mental stress mixed with the physical pain finally exceeds the limit at the moment Liam hangs up the phone.

Theo just crumbles in front of him.

“She is here,” he says softly, with a tremor in his voice. “She wants it back.”

Liam glances at him, still talking in a gentle tone. “How are you feeling now? We’re almost there.”

Theo feels a twinge of annoyance. He is still tempted to scream out loud. And honestly, he isn’t used to the other boy treating him like a fragile object or a child throwing a tantrum.

He lifts his hand with great effort and tears his already somewhat shattered shirt, revealing the pattern in his chest that is still stained with blood.

“That’s her _curse_.” he finishes with a gasp.

Liam slams on the brakes at the traffic light. He snaps his head around; his breath catches, his eyes fix on the pattern with a deadly gaze, seeming to moisten. Theo’s chaotic brain momentarily fails to comprehend how the other can emerge with such intense emotions in a flash.

Liam looks like he’s repressing something, and for a moment Theo nearly thinks he’s going to punch himself in the face, but he finally just cries out.

“God, that’s a _soulmark_ , your fucking idiot!”

Those are the last words he hears before falling into darkness.

He is back in the familiar corridors of Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Just like his numerous dreams before. Tara is here as well, but she doesn’t look as intimidating now. She still likes a corpse yet looks fine in a weird way. She pauses in front of him, though makes no further movement.

“What do you want?” he mumbles.

She slowly lifts her hand and moves it through his gaze, finally stopping at his chest and gently stroking his mark.

“It’s not a punishment, T,” Tara whispers, “it’s a gift.” She continues in a raw, strange tone, running her nails across the skin. “It’s hard to forgive. It’s hard to forget. But remember that, little brother, I always _love_ you.”

Drop after drop of his tears drip on the butterfly in her right wrist.

When he opens his eyes, he feels that his left hand is being held by another person. The distinctive smell of the hospital pulses through his nose. And Liam. His scent is everywhere in the room, with a mixture of worry, shock, and anxiety.

The younger boy lies his face down on the edge of the hospital bed and looks up quickly after realizing he’s awake. He has changed his clothes, and the blood has been cleaned from his body. His eyes are red, as if he has cried.

That makes Theo barely remember what he was going to say.

“…What did you say about _this_ ,” he gestures to his chest, there is caution in his voice, “Being a soulmark?”

“Huh, how do you feel now?” Liam doesn’t answer his question, but instead turns to his injury.

“Healing,” he replies succinctly.

“Okay,” the other boy nods, “Then answer me a question first. When did _that pattern_ appear?”

“The morning after we literally slept together, or maybe the night before.”

“That…” Liam trails off. “Actually make sense.”

“What?” Theo blinks. Suspicion begins to form in his mind, but he is _too uncertain_ to confirm it.

He shouldn’t get his hopes up about it. However...will this be what he thinks it will be?

Liam doesn’t say anything. Instead, he starts to unbutton his shirt. Theo’s breath stutters as the buttons are undone, revealing the mark on the other’s chest that _matches_ his.

And fair enough, that looks _fucking beautiful_ in Liam’s body.

“Oh,” he suddenly has no idea what to say about it. “You know it’s been a while.”

“I knew it from the very beginning,” Liam admits quietly, averting his eyes. “I got it on the day you came back from hell.”

“ _Oh,_ ” he repeats, still hasn’t recovered from the shock. “That’s why you say Hayden’s left is only _part_ of the reason. You don’t really like me at that time.”

“It was hurt in the beginning,” Liam says, “But as I’ve grown to know you, I’m glad you’re my soulmate.” He pauses and takes a light breath. “Then you tell me you don’t have a soulmate. This _hurts_ more than it did at the beginning, but I still want to be there for you. I want you to be happy.”

 _God_ , he thinks, _why didn’t you tell me that?_ He has to know; he needs to know. He never thinks about how much the other person has given to him. Liam cares about him. He always knows that. But who cares about the damage Liam has suffered? It’s not like this is the kind of issue that can just be brought up for discussion.

He definitely doesn’t deserve this from the younger boy.

_I want you to be happy too._

“I also meant it when I said we were friends,” he hears Liam’s eager explanation. “Even if we were soulmates it wouldn’t change anything. The relationship between us doesn’t need to change. I’m fine just to be your friend, truly. I’m only telling you because I want you to know that your mark belongs to me, not your sister, and I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed—”

He really can’t listen to it anymore.

“Shut up, Liam,” Theo interrupts. After seeing the other boy’s uncomprehending expression, he adds in exasperation. “Just shut the fuck up and get your ass over here!”

He sees Liam hesitate for a moment, and then indecisively move over a short distance.

“Closer,” he continues. Liam bites down on his lower lip and slowly moves a little closer.

“And now _you can kiss me_ ,” he finally claims.

The younger boy’s face flushes rapidly. He blinks, then blinks again. Hell, he looks so _inviting_. “Are you sure about this?” His voice is shaking.

“Nothing could be more certain than this,” Theo insists.

And a soft kiss falls on his lips. Liam holds his face as if he is treating a precious treasure. He is so engrossed in the kiss that he almost falls into tears.

This is something he has been fantasizing about for months, and it’s even better than he could have imagined for himself.

He wraps his arms around Liam’s neck and offers to open the other’s lips and teeth with his tongue. Liam lets out a whimper and quickly reverses the initiative, while Theo lets him.

Too much of what he wanted to express eventually melts into this kiss.

He can probably imagine Peter’s face when he will ultimately expel him from the club, and he doesn’t care that at all. Parrish might have congratulated him; at least now he knows what that surprised look on the deputy’s face was all about.

But back to now, all he could feel is warmth, support, and love. Everything he had struggled with before disappeared. It’s as though he finally becomes _whole_ in this kiss.

And that’s _all_ he needs.

_**FIN** _

**Author's Note:**

> There might be a sequel to Liam’s POV from the beginning. Anyway…no promises.


End file.
